Changed
by falafel90
Summary: Snape pulls Lily into the Transfiguration classroom to tell her what kind of guy James Potter is. Lily, however, ends up telling him what kind of guy James actually is. L/J one-shot.


A/N: Another L/J one-shot. Read and review!

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"I don't like him!" Lily exclaimed adamantly, but her blush betrayed her. She sighed, and the words spoken just previously rang in her ears: _You like James Potter_.

"You do, don't try to deny it." The voice of Severus Snape was one she hadn't heard in a while, one she wasn't sure she'd ever hear again. And if she didn't believe that, if she thought she _would_ hear it again, she didn't imagine it would be under these conditions.

Passing each other in the halls was common, but they had taken to looking the other way. Lily's distaste for Severus's choices were clear, and after he called her a "mudblood" to her face, it was the last straw; though the pair had once been inseparable, they couldn't be friends after that—at least, in Lily's opinion. Though Severus made many attempts to win Lily over, few were face to face and none were successful. Severus eventually stopped trying.

Which is why Lily was so shocked to be pulled into the Transfiguration as she was walking back to Gryffindor Tower from Arithmancy by none other than Snape himself. And then the topic itself! James Potter! She could hardly believe that _he_ was the reason Snape shanghaied her into a classroom.

And maybe she did like Potter. But it wasn't any business of Severus's.

"What do _you_ care, anyway, Snape?" The words were harsh upon her tongue, and Severus could only cringe. She immediately felt guilty for voicing her opinions. Of course he cared. She still cared for him, and surely he felt the same way about her.

Snape blushed, though she couldn't understand exactly why, and said, "You _must_ know that I still care about you, Lily." He glanced at her fleetingly, and then turned to look at the wall. "Which is why I need to say this: James Potter's a jerk. He'll date you and dump you. And I don't want to see you hurt." His head swiveled back around, and he stared at her with a slight frown.

"I'm sorry, Severus," Lily whispered throatily, "but you cannot tell me who I should and shouldn't like, who I should and shouldn't date. Even if we were friends…it's not _your_ life to live."

"So you admit it," Severus said, ignoring her remarks on his intrusion. "You like him. Even though you know how he is." He folded his arms in anger, and he started to stomp around the room like a small child. Pacing back and forth, he looked at the stone floor and refused to acknowledge Lily.

"I don't think _you _know how he is," Lily exclaimed loudly, causing Snape to stop in his tracks. Though he still refused to look at her, it was clear he was listening to her. "He's not as big of a git as you _think _he is!"

Severus finally looked up at her, his eyes glistening.

"He's different than he was when he was fifteen! He's _grown up_, Sev!" She smiled and shook her head. "He's _nice_ to first years! He _studies_! He hasn't picked on you _once_ this year! Surely you can see that he's changed! Surely you can see that Dumbledore was _completely_ right in his decision for Head Boy." Lily's own eyes were glistening now. "And he _cares_ about me. He says he _loves_ me. And after all that's happened this year, I find it hard _not _to believe. After all that's happened this year, I find it hard _not_ to like him back."

Snape looked surprised. "But how do you know he's not just doing all of this just to—to—to_ seduce_ you? How do you know it's not just—just a trick?"

"I—"

But Lily never got to finish her sentence. A voice from behind her interrupted her.

"Because _love_ doesn't _trick_." Lily turned her head around so fast that she thought she had whiplash. James Potter appeared out of thin air. Taking off his invisibility cloak and sitting atop one of the Transfiguration desks, he sighed.

"I know I should apologize for spying, but I just saw a hand come out of a classroom and grab you, Lily, so I threw on my invisibility cloak and followed you to make sure you were okay," he said quickly. "I wasn't spying with the _intention_ to spy—though I admit I should have left when I saw you were fine." He smiled. "I guess I just proved your speech wrong. Perhaps I _haven't_ changed. But I swear," he added hastily, "I _was_ about to leave, until I heard my name mentioned. And then I was too invested."

Lily glared at him for a moment, but it didn't stay upon her face long. As her anger dissipated, she grinned slightly. "If you didn't stay, you wouldn't be James Potter."

Snape, who was standing to the left of Lily, rolled his eyes. After a few silent minutes, he huffed. The _lovebirds_ couldn't stop _staring_ at each other, and he couldn't handle it. Lily was happy, and maybe that was all that should matter. As he walked away, he glanced back at the couple. Lily reached for James, and he nearly spat fire. Lily _was_ happy, and that _was_ all that should matter, but for him, it _wasn't_ all that mattered. He left the classroom feeling alone and irritable.

Lily, however, was feeling just the opposite. Elated that she had professed her love to James—or, at least, her _like_ for him—without having known it was the best possible thing to have happened.

"So…_you _like _me_," James said in a teasing voice. "I _knew_ it would eventually happen." He pulled her into a loose embrace, looking directly into her green eyes.

"And you're back to your normal, arrogant ways," Lily said, also teasing. She wore a large smile, one that rivaled James's, and she was _happy_.

"And you _love_ it," James said, rubbing her jaw. Lily laughed.

"I suppose in some sick way, I _do_." It was James's turn to chuckle.

"Come here," he said, and he put one hand behind the base of her neck, and he kissed her.


End file.
